Percy's Fatal Flaw
by dinosonzii
Summary: What will happen to Percy, when everything he's fighting for is taken away from him and his only option to save the world, is to let his friends die? Will he be able to save the only friends he has left? Rated for Character Death. (It's very sad, you have been warned) Please Read & Review. Thank you.


**This is the first installment in what I like to call the Fatal Flaw series. Thanks for reading, Hope you enjoy! :D**

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Percy stood, alone and horrified at the sight in front of him. Gaia herself was rising out of the dirt floor in front of him. Behind her Frank and Hazel were slowly sinking into the earth. Jason had just been engulfed by the earth two days ago.. Leo lay unconcious in a corner, defended only by Piper, from the earthborn that surrounded them. He could not see Annabeth. She had her invisibility cap on but he still felt uneasy.  
Gaia's voice whispered in his mind. "Scared, my little hero? Did you really believe you could defeat me?"  
"You won't get away with this!" Percy yelled in defiance. "We can still defeat you!".  
"Such courage and determination." The voice taunted softly. The creature in front of him had no mouth but Percy could hear the words crystal clear. " I wish you had joined me when you had the chance. You could have spared your loved ones."  
"You're lying" replied Percy flatly.  
"Let me show you young demigod, let me show you the end of your world and the beginning of mine. Let me see how long it takes for your spirit to break."  
And then Percy was plunged into darkness.

Percy opened his eyes to find himself on a barren wasteland, not a soul seen from horizon to horizon. He looked down to see he was standing on an Orange cloth, the tattered Camp Half-blood flag and next to it, a skeleton hand. Percy opened his mouth in a silent scream and the scene changed.  
Now Percy found himself among the tall skyscrapers in New York, falling into debris around him. In front of him, he saw his mom and Paul. He yelled and tried to push them out of the way. His hands flew right through them. It was too late. A falling building crushed them. There were tears rolling down his cheeks. The scene changed.  
Percy opened his bloodshot eyes to see Camp Jupiter and all the older demigods being slaughtered by giants. He wanted to rush to their aid but was frozen in place. He took a step and toppled over.

Percy awoke to the cold tile under his face. "See demigod, you have nothing left to fight for. Give up."  
He got up and faced Gaia again.  
"Never. I still have the key to your defeat. And I will stop you if it's the last thing I do!" He paused waiting for Annabeth to take off her cap and appear next to him.  
Gaia laughed. "You think I don't know about the orb? The gift from Aphrodite that's to put me into a deep eternal sleep?"  
Gaia's dirt form jerked to the left, gesturing an earthborn forward. He lumbered forward, in his arms the broken form of a girl, with long blonde hair. The giant stumbled and a small pink orb, the size of Percy's palm fell on down and rolled to a stop by Percy's feet. He picked it up cautiously, turning it between his hands, finding comfort in its odd warmth.  
"Annabeth..." Percy's voice cracked with emotion.  
"Love... The strongest force of all... Such nonsense!" she spat. "I know the orb will only work when two who 'love 'each other more than life itself wield it. I have taken all the measures to prevent that," the creature beckoned a deformed clay arm towards Annabeth, "as unlikely the chance it would work. Now, the choice is yours Perseus Jackson. Sacrifice yourself and I shall let your friends live, including the son of Jupiter."  
Percy's eyes widened in surprise.  
"Oh, yes, I have kept the foolish demigod alive, under the earth, for now." Gaia's voice cackled with a hint of amusement. "However, you can choose to save yourself... but will you be able to survive watching as I break Wisdom's daughter, mentally and physically? Choose quickly, young demigod. Your friends breaths are limited."

Percy's head spun. It felt hopeless. He had no idea what he could do to save everyone. He had no one to consult and his friends time was running out. He thought about the orb in his hand. He could still destroy her with the orb, maybe. He could try to make it to Annabeth. If she's touching it when he said the spell, it could just work. He glanced at the earthborn, and saw the foul creature lick its bloody lips. Percy shook his head. That wouldn't work. The earthborn would waste no time in snapping Annabeth's neck. Nor would his comrades, realized Percy with a glance around the room. All his allies were cornered or down. He made one false move and they would all die. He couldn't let that happen. He wouldn't.  
"Your fatal flaw is your loyalty, Percy. You would destroy the world to save a friend." Athena's words flashed through his mind.  
He now realized exactly what she meant. He would rather destroy the world than let his friends come to harm...

"The clock is ticking."Gaia's voice whispered in his head.  
He made up his mind.

"Do you swear they will live? They will survive?" Percy asked forcefully.  
The voice laughed in his head. She knew he had no choice.  
It dawned on him that there was no escape this time. He was going to die.  
Piper screamed in the background "Don't do it Percy! We can find a way out of this!"  
Percy replied calmly "Its the only way..."  
He turned to meet Piper's eyes, and tilted his head towards Annabeth. _Keep her safe._  
Piper understood the unspoken message and shook her head. "Please, Don't do this, Percy. There has to be another way." Tears rolled down her dirt-stained cheeks.

Percy smiled sadly and turned back toward the Gaia creature.  
"Don't hurt them." He knelt to the ground. Clenching his teeth he said "I offer myself as a sacrifice, to save my friends."  
Gaia smiled a horrible toothless smile and Percy started to sink into the ground of the cavern. He saw Frank and Hazel pop out of the ground and run to where Annabeth had been dropped by the giant. The earthborn around Piper and Leo vanished and Jason had appeared struggling for breath next to them. As the dirt started to close over his head, Percy closed his eyes and whispered softly "Annabeth. I will always love you."  
Then there was nothing but darkness. Percy felt his life force draining out of him. In his last moment of consciousness he heard a voice in his head whisper "Fool". He felt Gaia awaken, the world come crashing down above him. And in that instant Percy, himself, was no more. His fatal flaw had become fatal, at last.


End file.
